Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-29
THE SLAVE TRADE.
A Hand Hand Fight with an Arab Graf

THE SLAVE TRADE.
Hand Hand Fight with an Arab Craft.
A few days ago, says The London Stan
dard, the lords of the admiralty promot-
ed Lieut. Fred f. Fegen, R. n, to be com
mander, to mark their recognition of his
gallant conduct in as brilliant and thor
ough real sea-dog exploit as ever graced
British naval annals. Last May, Lieut..
Fegen, who was on board her maissty's
ship Turquoise then stationed at Zanzi-
bar, set out OF board an ordinary pinnace
with seven men al told, to patrol that
portion of the East African coast and
watch for Arab sIavers. On the morning
Of May 80 the p1nnace was lying snugly
anchored within Fungal gap, an island to
the north of Zanzibar. The crew of the
pinnace comprised five blue jackets, one
marine, one interpreter, and Fegen. At
daylight the lookout reported that a
dhow was entering the gap. as far as
could be ascertained she seemed peace
able trader making for port under crowd
ed sail. Only man or two could be seen
on deck, and there was nothing TO indicate
the craft was full of armed men. The
lieutenant had little dingy with him,
and in this as a matter OF duty and re-
caution, he sent his scoxswain, the marine
and the interpreter to hail the stranger
and see that she was all right. Stoutly the
little dingy was rowed toward the dhow
to intercept her as she ran along.
When within one hundred yards of the
Arab the interpreter hailed them, but re-
ceived no answer, nor could he see any
body on board, for the huge sail screened
her crew. Plying their oars with more
vigor, they made to board the strange
craft, when instantly a score of swart
faces rose above the gunnel, and volley
from the Snider rifles was poured into
the dingy. Fegen shouted orders to his
men to turn the nine-pound gun with
which the pinnance was armed to bear on
the dhow, while at the same moment one
Of his men opened fire on them with his
Martini Henry. The marine from the
d1ngy had already got to work with his
weapon, and was evidently doing execu-
ton. The SLAYER, holding the dingy as
too insignificant, changed her course and
bore down upon the pinnace, clearly in
tending to run aboard her. Fegen and
his four men had their anchor tipped IL
trice, made sail, but there was no time
to get under ay when down upon them
came the dhow. The lieutenant called
"Prepare to resist boarders," stand TO
them my lads" and, setting that example,
which in warfare, at any rate, is before
all precept, jumped forward to repel the
attack as the two vessels bumped togeth-
er. With characteristic ferocity the
slavers-some thirteen Arabs and seven
blood thirsty half-breed cut-throats-
deavored TO spring aboard the plnnace.
Fegen shot two down with his revolver and
ran third through the body, when he il
turn would have fallen under a fierce
blow from an Arabs blade had not Pear
son, an A. B., run the man through with
his cutlass. AS it was, Fegen received a
Sc, ere wound on the right arm, but still
| the fight went on, for he could use his
pistol with his left. Three of his men
were cut down, and were by this time "
| ing seriously wounded in the bottom OF
the pinnace, while nine Arabs had been
slain by our sturdy tars. Still Fegen
battled on, shooting, pushing, and show.
ing with the help of his crew now one
man, both of them receiving fresh stabs
and wounds. j. Guys and Fred Russell
leading seamen, had stood by him like
steel, fighting with the courage and deter
mination of those who have immortaliz
ed our navy. Russell fought on needless
of his many wounds until he sank from
sheer loss of blood. At Iength the dhov
| slipped past and sheered off, not to escape
however, for wounded as all the pinnact
were, they fought and held on with the
tenacity Of bulldogs. With those still il
the dingy they maintained the fire on the
dhow and followed her up. Tho SLAYER
replied with their Spiders, and Fegen
seeing his men in the dingy exposed, hello
the pinnace 20 the wind to obtain The
weather guage and cover the"punt" The
protracted fight attracted number OF
Arabs to the shore, and they in turn be
gan firing at the two, to them, hateG
British craft. A lucky shot from one OF
the Martins killed the slaver's helmsman
and the dhow preached to in shallow
water and capsized. The remainder OF
the raseally crew plunged into the sea
/ which was about two fathoms deep at the
spot, and swan for the shore; four or five
only succeeded in reaching the land alive
Most of the penned slaves managed &c
scramble out and hang on to the dhow
their heads alone visible out of the water
Fegen got his men from the dingy
on board the pinnace, and with &
few shells from nine-poander drove away
the bellgerent Arabs on the shore. This
done, he sent the dingy to the rescue OF
the slaves, and succeeded IN saving the
lives of fifty-three unfortunate negroes
Unfortunately twelve had been drowned
by the capsizing of the dhow, the mum
Der of slaves on board having been sixty
| five. A sailor named Benjamin Stone, an
A. B., was the only one killed outright or
our side during the plucky little sea-fght.
So far as known up to the present the
wounded biue-iackets were all doing we'll
MAN WITH A HISTORY.
Interesting Account of JOSeDh Francis the